- Mar 16, 2014
- 8,524
- 8,666
- AFL Club
- Collingwood
There’s an uncertainty that people experience when they have suffered from gaslighting. You can see reality, clear as day in front of you. And then there’s someone, almost always in a position of power above you, telling you it just isn’t so. White is black, up is down, Maynard didn’t get blocked in the 2018 Grand Final, and Darcy Moore wasn’t pushed in the back in last year’s prelim.
Uncertainty lingers and returns when you're back in similar conditions:
The truth is, with each week, I’ve become less certain the footy results – it’s the trauma of my memories as a really little kid around 1980, the loss in 2002 by a whisker when Chris Tarrant was monstered in that last quarter and received no frees! Then 2003 as the year we were “meant” to win it against the Lions. It was our time. We were a better team than the one that lost the year before by a whisker – instead we were flogged in a one-sided affair. Let's not mention recent years.
Of course, there was 1990 and 2010, when justice was done as counterweights.
So I’m split between the black and white sides of my Magpie Heart:
The Black Side: We’ve been the best team over the year. There’s no reason we can’t take another step back to our best. The Lions are playing in Melbourne. It’s our home ground. We’ve had an extra day to recover.
The White Side: McStay has been everything we’ve asked in the last couple of months and now he’s gone. We’re a touch slow. Our best form is still elusive. We’ve become a bit like Melbourne really: sloggers.
Since we don’t know about selection, we’ll have to make some guesses:
Brisbane are an attacking behemoth. There are dangers everywhere. Their forward line is stacked. They move the ball with lightning speed. Mobility is their watchword. Darcy Moore can go with either Daniher or Hipwood, but Murphy and Howe are undersized. Murphy might not quite have the speed to match them either. So, unless Frampton comes in, we’ll be relying on team defence and midfield pressure. I’d say Quaynor takes Charlie Cameron, since he has the pace and one-on-one skill.
The battle of the midfields will be something to behold. DeGoey has always been an elite finals performer and damn did he prove it in the Prelim. There’s no one who can match it with him when he plays like that. Dunkley won’t have the speed. Nick Daicos will probably spend a lot of time in the centre, and he gives us the elite touch. Pendles the experience. Mitchell the hardness, even if he’s a touch slow. Brisbane have a good spread too and it’ll be a brilliant thing to watch. A lot will come down to the ruck battle, and this might be a problem. Cox is our best ruck now, but he might need to play McStay’s role in the forward line. That gives me concerns both forward and with Cameron against the Big O in the ruck.
Because our forward line hasn’t exactly been firing. Admittedly, that’s because we’ve had to change our game plan as other teams flooded the centre corridor to stop our run. So we use the wings more and are slower. And that means we score less. The fate of Jamie Elliot in recent games is evidence enough for that. The slow transition and long kick into the forward line for a marking target requires someone to play McStay’s role.
Otherwise we need to go small and fast and try to recapture our early season form and style. Remember that for the first half of the year we were missing our rucks AND McStay. Does this suggest we should go smaller, bring in Ginnivan or Noble or Adams (the last unlikely) and try to bring back the breakneck pace? Is it too much to ask at this point in the season? A smaller forward line risks letting the Brisbane interceptors – Andrews particularly – to take control. But a taller structure encourages the slowness.
Everyone in the footy world has been debating bits of all this already and it’ll go on all week. I don’t really think there’s much new I have to offer.
For my part, I’d bring in Ginnivan to the starting team and play Noble as the sub. I’d rely on Mihocek and the resting ruckman to play key forwards and Elliot to play his typical “small full forward” role. But there are arguments for going every way.
Since there’s not much original for me to say, I’ll leave it there and say:
The Washup
The Pies to alleviate my trauma (which isn't really trauma, let's face it) with a tight win, by 9 points, and to redress at least some of the balance from 2002 and 2003. And for the Magpie fanatics, not least here on Bogfooty, to get some just desserts. We all deserve it.
And one final thing: That’s it from me folks. A full year of previews. I hope I’ve given some value, cracked a few jokes, made it entertaining as well as thoughtful. I’m now retiring from the job – so that’s all from Finnishpie in this capacity. Fly well my Magpie brethren!
Uncertainty lingers and returns when you're back in similar conditions:
The truth is, with each week, I’ve become less certain the footy results – it’s the trauma of my memories as a really little kid around 1980, the loss in 2002 by a whisker when Chris Tarrant was monstered in that last quarter and received no frees! Then 2003 as the year we were “meant” to win it against the Lions. It was our time. We were a better team than the one that lost the year before by a whisker – instead we were flogged in a one-sided affair. Let's not mention recent years.
Of course, there was 1990 and 2010, when justice was done as counterweights.
So I’m split between the black and white sides of my Magpie Heart:
The Black Side: We’ve been the best team over the year. There’s no reason we can’t take another step back to our best. The Lions are playing in Melbourne. It’s our home ground. We’ve had an extra day to recover.
The White Side: McStay has been everything we’ve asked in the last couple of months and now he’s gone. We’re a touch slow. Our best form is still elusive. We’ve become a bit like Melbourne really: sloggers.
Since we don’t know about selection, we’ll have to make some guesses:
Brisbane are an attacking behemoth. There are dangers everywhere. Their forward line is stacked. They move the ball with lightning speed. Mobility is their watchword. Darcy Moore can go with either Daniher or Hipwood, but Murphy and Howe are undersized. Murphy might not quite have the speed to match them either. So, unless Frampton comes in, we’ll be relying on team defence and midfield pressure. I’d say Quaynor takes Charlie Cameron, since he has the pace and one-on-one skill.
The battle of the midfields will be something to behold. DeGoey has always been an elite finals performer and damn did he prove it in the Prelim. There’s no one who can match it with him when he plays like that. Dunkley won’t have the speed. Nick Daicos will probably spend a lot of time in the centre, and he gives us the elite touch. Pendles the experience. Mitchell the hardness, even if he’s a touch slow. Brisbane have a good spread too and it’ll be a brilliant thing to watch. A lot will come down to the ruck battle, and this might be a problem. Cox is our best ruck now, but he might need to play McStay’s role in the forward line. That gives me concerns both forward and with Cameron against the Big O in the ruck.
Because our forward line hasn’t exactly been firing. Admittedly, that’s because we’ve had to change our game plan as other teams flooded the centre corridor to stop our run. So we use the wings more and are slower. And that means we score less. The fate of Jamie Elliot in recent games is evidence enough for that. The slow transition and long kick into the forward line for a marking target requires someone to play McStay’s role.
Otherwise we need to go small and fast and try to recapture our early season form and style. Remember that for the first half of the year we were missing our rucks AND McStay. Does this suggest we should go smaller, bring in Ginnivan or Noble or Adams (the last unlikely) and try to bring back the breakneck pace? Is it too much to ask at this point in the season? A smaller forward line risks letting the Brisbane interceptors – Andrews particularly – to take control. But a taller structure encourages the slowness.
Everyone in the footy world has been debating bits of all this already and it’ll go on all week. I don’t really think there’s much new I have to offer.
For my part, I’d bring in Ginnivan to the starting team and play Noble as the sub. I’d rely on Mihocek and the resting ruckman to play key forwards and Elliot to play his typical “small full forward” role. But there are arguments for going every way.
Since there’s not much original for me to say, I’ll leave it there and say:
The Washup
The Pies to alleviate my trauma (which isn't really trauma, let's face it) with a tight win, by 9 points, and to redress at least some of the balance from 2002 and 2003. And for the Magpie fanatics, not least here on Bogfooty, to get some just desserts. We all deserve it.
And one final thing: That’s it from me folks. A full year of previews. I hope I’ve given some value, cracked a few jokes, made it entertaining as well as thoughtful. I’m now retiring from the job – so that’s all from Finnishpie in this capacity. Fly well my Magpie brethren!
Magpie Army. Bring it home boys.
